DOODS2 vs Kerberos Agent
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | DOODS2 | Kerberos Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 50 · Fair | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 277 | ★ 1,121 |
| First released | 2020 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Nest Cam | Nest Cam |
What are DOODS2 and Kerberos Agent?
DOODS2
DOODS2 is a dedicated open object detection service written in Python. It exposes REST and gRPC APIs for running detection on images and video streams, supports Coral EdgeTPU and GPU acceleration, and is commonly paired with NVR software rather than being an NVR itself.
- Standalone object detection service
- REST and gRPC APIs
- Coral and GPU support
- Integrates with NVR software
Kerberos Agent
Kerberos Agent is a lightweight, single-camera video surveillance application that detects motion and stores recordings locally or in the cloud. Multiple agents can be managed centrally with Kerberos Hub.
- Single-camera agent design
- Motion detection
- Local and cloud storage
- Kubernetes friendly
DOODS2 vs Kerberos Agent: key differences
DOODS2 is written in Python, while Kerberos Agent is built with Go. Kerberos Agent is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for DOODS2. Kerberos Agent is the more established project (first released 2014), while DOODS2 arrived in 2020. Kerberos Agent has the considerably larger community, at 1,121 GitHub stars versus 277.
Why pick each one
Choose DOODS2 if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Watch out for
- Detection service only
- Needs an NVR to pair with
Choose Kerberos Agent if…
- Lightweight per-camera model
- Scales with orchestration
Watch out for
- One agent per camera
- Hub needed for central view
Frequently asked questions
Is DOODS2 or Kerberos Agent better?
Neither is universally better. Kerberos Agent has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are DOODS2 and Kerberos Agent free and open-source?
Yes. DOODS2 is licensed under MIT and Kerberos Agent under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DOODS2 and Kerberos Agent with Docker?
DOODS2: yes. Kerberos Agent: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, DOODS2 or Kerberos Agent?
Kerberos Agent has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for DOODS2. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.